Wow. It is easy to see why Charlie Gitto's has garnered 4 1/2 stars overall on this site. It was…read morethat good. I was taught by brother that you should book your first dinner reservation as after flying all day, one is tired, and not able to make good decisions...hence eating at a TGI Fridays in New Orleans on our first night. I have heard about that since. Charlie's had the perfect vibe going as it has a great reputation. Wendy was also simply amazing and shared may stories of St Louis and was just a tremendous server. The only thing that tricked us was the Toasted Ravioli. It has meat in it, and my wife is vegetarian. The Arancini was terrific and the table bread was also quite tasty. My wife had the Manicotti and I had the Chicken Lemonata. So great. The bottle of the house Gitto's Red was the perfect wine as well. A great experience at a restaurant that is a legend in St. Louis and I am glad it was our first meal in the city.

We enjoyed our visit to Charlie Gitto's On the Hill. We had a 5:00 reservation and arrived about 20…read moreminutes early but were seated right away. The vibe inside was warm, cozy, and sophisticated. There is also a small patio area that seemed to have a much different vibe. We were seated in a busy area of the restaurant, so there was frequent traffic passing by our table, which took away from the vibe a bit. It didn't bother us but I can see how it could bother others. Everyone we interacted with from the hostess to our waiter Brian and the other servers passing by our table, was friendly and welcoming. The manager even stopped to chat with us while we waited for our Uber. Now for the food, we started with the toasted ravioli we had heard so much about and it was good. For the main dish, we went with the lobster spaghetti which was one of the day's specials. The portion size was generous making it the perfect dish to share with my son. The dish was filled with lobster, shrimp, and other seafood, all tossed in a rich buttery sauce. We both really enjoyed it. Even though we were full from dinner, we didn't want to leave without trying dessert so we took a slice of carrot cake back to the hotel. It made a great late night snack. The cake was moist and the cream cheese icing was delicious. Overall, this is a nice spot for an Italian dinner.

The food was fabulous: fresh, hot, flavorful. The service was top-notch. Andres was our amazing…read moreserver but you could see well-trained professional staff from the hostess to the kitchen team & expeditor who brought piping hot food to our table as soon as it was ready. The restaurant is traditionally lovely casual with wood beams, rock details & outside dining. An excellent dining experience!

I was visiting St. Louis for the first time and I wanted to try foods that St. Louis was known for…read more(according to online research) and toasted ravioli kept popping up. Being from the Bay Area in California, I had never heard of toasted ravioli so I added it to my itinerary. I found this place on Yelp and saw that Guy Fieri (another Bay Area native) had featured it on his show so I settled on Anthonino's. I walked over from the Botanical Garden on a Friday afternoon around 12pm so that I could get a better feel of the streets, locals, surrounding shops, and the Hill neighborhood. The area was very calm, clean, safe and had a sense of pride. I enjoyed the sights and sounds throughout the streets and by the time I arrived at the front door, I was super excited to eat. I was seated quickly at the bar and given a menu and water. The bar staff were friendly and pleasant to talk to and also took my order within a few minutes. The restaurant quickly filled up behind me and it was a lively environment. I really appreciated that the TVs had sports shows on (huge sports fan and was in town to visit Busch Stadium) so it gives you something to look at. I ordered the toasted ravioli and a tiramisu. As a solo traveler, I have to limit how much I can order so this was the perfect amount for me. The food was amazing and I wished that I could have tried more plates. The ravioli had great flavors and texture and the tiramisu was so creamy and fresh. I would definitely return if the opportunity presented itself. The customer service from all staff members was amazing! Thank you for this experience :)

While visiting St. Louis for a trade show, our group was looking forward to trying Mama's on The…read moreHill after hearing several recommendations. I never actually saw the inside of the restaurant because one member of our party needed handicap accessibility, and unfortunately the entrance only had steps with no alternate accessible entry available. Thankfully, it was a beautiful evening and we were able to dine comfortably at one of the outdoor tables. Our server was kind, attentive, and very helpful throughout the meal. We started by sharing a few appetizers including the toasted ravioli, which St. Louis is famous for, along with calamari. Both were enjoyable and a great way to begin the meal. The meals came with bread, butter, and a bottle of seasoned oil for dipping, which was a nice touch. My entrée included a salad with a sweet Italian dressing that I absolutely loved -- honestly, I would have been perfectly happy eating a larger portion of just the salad. For my main course, I chose the veal parmigiana. The flavor was good, although the veal itself was slightly tough, and the pasta side came with shells rather than traditional spaghetti. To finish the evening, we shared tiramisu and a cannoli for dessert. Both were enjoyable, but the cannoli definitely won the flavor battle for our table. Overall, despite the accessibility concern, we enjoyed the experience, the service, and many parts of the meal.

My family and I live across the river in Illinois, and we love dining on The Hill whenever we get…read morethe chance. One of our traditions is trying a different Italian restaurant each visit based on reviews and recommendations from friends. This time, our party of five chose Mama's, and for most of us it was our first visit. I got a reservation weeks in advance and was clear about what we were celebrating. Starting with the positives, our server was friendly and attentive throughout the evening, and the food was good. Every entree at our table was enjoyable, and nobody left disappointed with their meal. Unfortunately, the overall dining experience fell short of our expectations because of the atmosphere. We were celebrating a significant occasion and were seated in the basement dining area. The space felt very sterile, with white walls, white floors, and a white ceiling. It lacked the warmth, charm, and character that many of us associate with dining on The Hill. The room was also packed with large parties, making it quite loud. Rather than feeling like a special night out, the atmosphere reminded me more of a banquet hall or VFW gathering than an Italian restaurant known for celebrations and family traditions. For me, great dining is about more than just the food. While the meal itself was good, ambiance, setting, and overall experience matter too, especially when celebrating something important. Based on this visit, I wouldn't recommend Mama's for a special occasion, and I don't see myself returning. Good food and friendly service can only carry an experience so far when the atmosphere doesn't match the occasion.

A lovely little place that has fabulous Italian food. Had the homemade spaghetti w San Marzano…read moretomatoes and the bread, oh the bread was so damn good w pesto and olive oil dipping sauce.

The European feel to the cafe is charming. The meats from…read moreProsciutto to mortadella melt I. Your mouth. The homemade focaccia is amazing. I want to go back and try pastas and dessert.

This was a little hidden gym for me to try out recently for dinner. You have to utilize street…read moreparking so that can be a little difficult to find depending on how busy it is. On the outside it looks smaller, but there's a lot of dining space inside the staff is very friendly and helpful with menu suggestions. They also have a small patio area for outside dining as it gets warmer outside. They have a wide variety on their drink menu and a large wine selection. They start your meal off with bread and hummus, which was pretty tasty. I got the rigatoni with shrimp and it was a pretty good dish. I think it could've used a little more seasoning, but overall it was a solid meal.

Best Lasagna in St. Louis. The portions are huge (at least the lasagna was). The lasagna was served…read morewith a sauce and I was unsure I would enjoy this but it was AMAZING! I had left overs for 2 days. This was our first visit and it was a Friday night and very busy. We sat at the bar for dinner as we were going to the theater and could not afford to waste time. Service was very kind and attentive, offered several recommendations for dinner. I should have made reservations so Make the reservations, it will be worth it. I also do not typically like toasted ravioli but these were also excellent. The service was great! I would highly recommend and will absolutely return.

I loveeee pastaria!! It's dangerous how close I live because I do frequent this place often and I…read morecan't believe I hadn't left a review yet! I pop in for gelato frequently, but I also enjoy the pistachio raviolis a lot. You really can't go wrong with any pasta choice, and I haven't tried their pizza but it looks and smells amazing. I usually enjoy my dinner with a glass of wine -- they have a great selection. If it's nice out, we try to sit outside. I do recommend getting a reservation because they get really busy during peak dinner hours! The staff is always friendly, from the hostess to the waiters to the bartenders, I've never had a bad experience. Highly recommend this place!

What a great find in Clayton. Was in town visiting my daughter and was looking for a causal spot…read morewith good food. I stumbled across Pastaria and was immediately drawn to the place. I sat at the bar and was immediately greeted and given a menu. I ordered the Citrus Salad and Fried Risotto Balls. OMG the risotto balls are something that cannot be passed up. Simply amazing. The salad was so good, could have used a touch of acid but was superb. The service was top notch and will not only be coming back but recommending Pastaria to anyone that I like. The restaurant vibe is fantastic. Welcoming and hopping but not too loud that you couldn't hear yourself think.

Oh, you like delicious, fresh food? Oh, you like quality…read moreliquor? Oh, you like a cozy, bustling hidden gem? Oh, do I have the spot for you! I have had salve osteria on the hit list for a while, and my expectations were far exceeded. This place is both insanely busy and also a hidden gem at the same time. It does not get the attention, nor press it deserves. The place is jumping with good people and good vibes. I got their New Years special which was prix fixe with prime rib as the main event. Everything was superb. The cassoulet had a beautiful spice with a velvety texture. The crab tom yum risotto was so decadent. Silky smooth from the coconut with a beautiful herby finish from the mint chili oil to complement the crab. I never thought I'd say this, but the brussel sprouts stole the show! Cooked in some bacon fat they were crunchy, salty, and perfect. Oh, and the prime rib was everything a kid could ever dream of. Fatty and the cacao rub was amazing. The horseradish was spectacular. The whipped potatoes were light and airy. Think of mashed potatoes in whipped cream form. A texture and flavor combination I will now dream of because I imagine I will never get to experience something so lovely again. As for cocktails, i kept it simple with a martini... I mean, it is a gin bar, how could I not? The service was great. I was dining solo and the servers and bar tender kept me updated, well taken care, and treated with intense hospitality. Despite being super busy they still prioritized me! Can't wait to get back and try the normal menu, everything looks lovely in a lovely space full of lovely people!

Food 4.2 Service 5.0…read more Ambiance 5.0 I ordered the gnocchi appetizer and I knew I was in for a treat after the fist bite. Fluffy clouds of delightfulness. The duck bread entree was seared to perfection and cooked exactly how it was meant to be cooked. The Panna Cotta was a seasonal masterpiece. I did have one issue: I ordered a Barr Hill Vodka Martini at a premium price, and it had a strong taste of Juniper. I alerted the staff and they were very apologetic and understanding, unfortunately the manager assured me it was Vodka and didn't acknowledge the possibility it tasted like gin. I'm guessing bartender failed to rinse the shaker properly after the previous gin shake, resulting in a vodka drink with a strong gin flavor. The staff kindly replaced the drink with a lower quality vodka that helped satisfy me. The situation was resolved, but I walked away feeling misunderstood and dismissed by the owner. I will be back and I do recommend this restaurant. :)

My daughter and I started out with bread that was not warm, which is surprising. These days, a lot…read moreof places make you pay for bread, which is disheartening, so this was a plus anyway that they offered us bread, albeit cold. We ordered a bottle of Amarone and enjoyed it with the whole meal. For starters, we ordered the polenta with Italian sausage between the two of us. We could only exclaim about how creamy the polenta was. It was extremely hearty, with some vegetables and thinly sliced Italian sausage. I'm glad that the Italian sausage was thinly sliced because otherwise it would have been overpowering for my palette. The next dish that my daughter had was technically a Caprese salad, which was tomato and mozzarella. She didn't like the red onion, but had asked for balsamic vinegar on the side, which she added to the salad, and when I tried the balsamic vinegar, even I realized that it is one of the best that I have ever had. My daughter went with the gnocchi, and said that it was among the best that she had ever had. We shared a veal and mushroom risotto between the two of us, and it was perfectly moist, the veal was not overpowering, and it was perfectly cooked. The veal just simply melted in the mouth. My osso buco came on a saffron risotto, and the osso buco was fantastic, tender, and simply delightful. I enjoyed the marrow very much, but I almost wished that the dish came with polenta, not risotto. However, it was still magnificent. We took dessert to go, because we couldn't finish everything at all. However, this is definitely not going to be the last time we come here. The ambience was fantastic, very intimate, darkly lit, but still noisy, with people having fun here. Our service was top of the line, with great humor. Give this place a try. You won't be upset, neither will you regret it. Our compliments to the chef, staff, and owner. What a home run.

2025's New Years Eve dinner at Lorenzo's. My youngest has her birthday on NYE so I was able to host…read moreher and her friend for dinner at Lorenzo's. The restaurant looked amazing, and I was somewhat surprised that they served their regular menu as opposed to a limited menu as many places do on a holiday. My daughter and I both had the salmon meal while her friend tried a special, grouper. My salmon filet was perfectly done and the pasta and fresh vegetables it was served on was fantastic. Tori had an aperol spritz and it was delicious while I stayed with a soft drink so nothing to share there. Both of them enjoyed their entrees commenting on freshness and flavor. For dessert they selected cannellonis and I had a slice of their house made cheesecake and a cup of coffee. Dessert was just as delicious as the entrees were. It is very costly but for a white table cloth dinner to celebrate both a birthday and NYE it was amazing. The service was splendid, our server was a beautiful young lady with suggestions on selections, the bussers were busy seemingly there waiting for you to finish so that they could remove your plate. I hope to return soon on a dinner date that with a lady I would like to impress.

First time here, great service ordered sandwiches with a side of pasta so good. Highly recommend…read moreand we will bring our family.

Excellent sandwich spot. First time here because we didn't want to drive to the city for a good…read moreItalian sandwich, Liliana's popped up in my search so let's give it a try. Excellent spot. Really good menu of sandwiches, pizzas and pasta's with great appetizers. Toasted Ravs were three stars and the sauce was five stars. The sandwiches and service exceeded five stars because of the cheerful server and good beer selection too. A definite must-return to spot for dinner.

My mom and I used to come here a lot when I was little, so she decided she wanted to run it back…read moreand go here for her birthday lunch. It really is consistently good and we've never had a bad experience here. We started with cocktails and I had the espresso martini. It was very good! She had more of a fruity martini and also enjoyed it. They give you bread which is always a plus, and we started with an appetizer of mozzarella fritti which was fresh mozzarella and fried. Delicious. We also obviously had to get the salad and it was so good with the house dressing. We had the chicken piccata and the pollo Soto. My piccata came with a side of pasta and was very tasty. I loved the lemon and the capers. Our server was kind and helpful. I definitely recommend making a reservation because we went at noon on a Saturday and it was poppin! I'll be back :)

We've been to "The Hill" in South City countless times, but we'd never tried Zia's. That changed a…read morecouple of days ago. Honestly? We've been missing out. The interior is nothing fancy, but it has that standard charm of The Hill. The service was excellent, we had Katie. She could have told us she went to WashU and majored in waitressing and we would have believed her. Prompt, professional but slightly personable. Good combo. The food was GREAT. We couldn't decide which was better, the Chicken Picatta or the Chicken Speidini. They were both super high quality poultry mixed with a rich and flavorful sauce, yum. Katie even let us make the side shells "pink", by mixing marinara and Alfredo for us. The only reason I'm subtracting a star is that our salads were a bit wilted -- my Mom kept running into some weird looking greens. Regardless, we'll be back.